Page 38 of Wings of Darkness (Daughter of the Seven Circles #2)

Chapter

Twenty-Three

LUCILLE

A fter training, Rune and I walked to the healers’ wing. As expected, the general followed along through their connection.

“I said I would go. You should trust my word.”

Rune barked suddenly, making me jump.

I’d heard her growl, pant, and whine before, but never bark. I had a sneaking suspicion that was the general’s special way of responding through his Soulhound.

“You don’t have to apologize, General. Just don’t make the same mistake twice,” I said sweetly.

Rune growled in response, but it wasn’t aggressive—more like a sulking child who hadn’t gotten her morning pets. I wondered if she could control it or not. Because if the general controlled it, I was sure it would’ve been a vicious growl .

I twirled the end of my low ponytail, a grin tugging at my lips. “Seriously, General. I forgive you.”

The thought of his expression—glaring into space, steam practically coming out of his ears—nearly sent me into a fit of laughter.

Rune growled again, this time deeper.

“Hey, now. Don’t go seething in those little boots of yours,” I teased. “You wouldn’t want Moira thinking she’s bad in bed. We wouldn’t want a dead general on our hands.”

I had no idea if he was with her or not, but it was my best guess.

Suddenly, Rune—or, most likely, the general—sprang in front of me. I tripped over her, crashing into the carpeted floor with a burst of laughter. She sat back on her haunches, tilting her head side to side as if listening intently to my amusement.

“I’m teasing,” I said, laughing. “I bet she’s great in bed, and I guarantee you are too.” I froze. “I mean you’re— You have?—”

My cheeks flushed, and I shut my mouth, scrambling to my feet and making sure to avoid eye contact with Rune.

Why did I say that?

The rest of the way to the healers’ wing was filled with an uncomfortable silence, which didn’t even make sense.

It wasn’t like he walked beside me. But the thought of him hearing those words—of him knowing what I’d said—while also remembering how he felt about me, how he was my superior, and how I was trying to make him respect me, made my stomach twist.

I scurried through the doors, relieved that Rune couldn’t follow me inside. I approached a healer and asked for Sam. She led me to a bed, her footsteps quick and efficient, and told me to wait .

I lay down, trying to focus on the sounds of the healers bustling about the large hall—murmurs, the faint jingle of necklaces, the rustle of bandages and herbs—but none of them were Sam.

I stared up at the ceiling, feeling the faint weight of my thoughts pressing in.

My mind racing from one worry to the next—the general and what he thought of me now.

My mother and when I would be able to dream-walk to her again.

Cato and knowing about dream-walking. Lucifer and the greenhouse.

The possibility that we might be stuck here for more than a year.

The urgency inside me surged, making my fingers twitch with restless energy.

How could Aspen endure Lilith for another year? How was he now?

I must’ve drifted off while waiting, because when I blinked my eyes open, I stood in our field. The thick air carried the sweet scent of grass and wildflowers, their whispers brushing against my skin in the blue moonlight.

“It’s been a day,” Aspen said. “And still, my heart aches from the deep longing to see your face again.” He smiled, rising from the ground below the oak tree.

I raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at my lips. “That’s all you’ve been doing, isn’t it? Sleeping, hoping I’d appear in your dreams?”

He shrugged, but something flashed in his gaze, the twilight hiding it from me. I was tempted to shift the dream to daylight, to see him better. Instead, I shifted the color of the moon to silver and placed stars in the sky. And he dressed me back into the green dress.

“Isn’t that what every female wants to hear? That the male she adores spends every moment in slumber, hoping she’ll visit him there?”

I made my way to him, switching the dress for a pair of leggings and a loose long-sleeve. Aspen sighed, as if disappointed, then reached out, pulling me into his embrace. With his free hand, he twirled a lock of my hair between his fingers, his touch sending a shiver down my spine.

“Maybe,” I whispered. “But I’d rather have you here with me in the waking world than in the hazy blur of dreams.”

His lips brushed against mine, slow and tender. “This,” he murmured, his breath warming my skin, “feels pretty real to me.”

I pulled back just enough to meet his eyes, forcing out a half-hearted smile. “You know what I mean.”

He sighed. “I do. Have you found any way of escape?”

I stepped out of his arms and turned toward the trees. “We thought we had,” I said, my voice tinged with frustration. “Hell has Portal Lake, but it only responds to the king’s blood—just like the gates. And neither one has answered him in years.”

So, we found nothing.

Aspen’s arms encircled me from behind, pulling me close again. His finger brushed the sensitive skin beneath my breast through the thin fabric of my shirt. He lowered his lips to my neck, his breath a warm kiss against my eager skin.

“Have you found anything else?”

I stiffened .

Yes. His dead lover. I still hadn’t told him.

“What?” His tone sharpened, and he turned me, searching my face. He looked desperate. And he should be, right? He wanted me out of Hell and probably thought I’d found something small to help with that. “What else did you find?”

I hesitated. What good would it do if I told him? He wouldn’t be able to see her. Telling him would only rip open old wounds, bring him more pain.

“Sweetheart,” he prompted, lifting my chin. “Maybe I can help if you tell me.”

I swallowed hard, the words heavy on my tongue. “Have you found Michael yet?” He told me he’d help me with that too, and I’ve yet to hear of his progress.

“No.”

“You’re still looking, right?”

He stared straight at me and smiled, his eyes tightening. “Of course.”

I bit my lip. I didn’t believe him. His smile was forced, his tone higher than normal. He was hiding something. But was it about Michael… or something worse?

“I’m just having a hard time finding him, sweetheart. That’s all,” he reassured. He grabbed my hands when I remained quiet. “Really, sweetheart. I’m stuck at the moment and didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Okay.” It wasn’t like we’d be able to kill him until we rescued Aspen and… Melanie. I bowed my head. There were too many moving pieces to figure out.

“There’s someone else I need you to search for. ”

He ran a finger across my bottom lip, pulling it from between my teeth and tilting my chin up. “Who?”

“Melanie. Oliver’s sister.” I steadied myself, gathering the strength to speak the words.

“Lilith took her when she took you. Oliver believes she’s still alive—somewhere in the Tenebrous Kingdom.

” If we were going to save her, we needed someone on the inside.

“Put finding her above finding Michael,” I said, my voice a weak whisper.

After all this, I’d promised myself I’d do everything to help my mom—everything. But Michael was most likely out of our reach, while Melanie was hidden in Aspen’s kingdom. And I wouldn’t let my best friend wait another year for his sister, even if he currently hated me.

A haunted look passed over Aspen’s face, so raw and sudden it felt like he was drowning in something unseen.

I reached out, my fingers brushing his arm. “Hey?—”

The air around us vibrated with outside noise, breaking apart the dream. Someone was waking me up.

No! I didn’t want to wake up. I needed to figure out what was going on with Aspen.

He crushed his lips to mine, devouring my mouth in a desperate kiss. “I’ll do what I can to find them,” he murmured, his voice muffled against my mouth before the dream-walk unraveled and our midnight field faded.

“Lucille.” Sam sighed as I opened my eyes. “What have you done to yourself now? ”

I rubbed my face, aggravated. It wasn’t Sam’s fault.

The whole reason I came here was for him to check on me.

I just wish he’d waited a little longer before waking me up.

More importantly, I wished Aspen would—I didn’t know—be more open and honest about what was going on with him.

Wasn’t that what a relationship was supposed to be like?

Or love, for that matter? Unless this wasn’t love. Unless?—

“Lucille.” Sam shook my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

I dropped my hands and sat up, pushing away my thoughts. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a concussion from running.”

Sam shook his head, ripping the yellow amulet from around his neck. “Let me guess. Instead of going to one of the many healers here, the general demanded you seek me out—again.”

I raised a brow but nodded.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, holding his amulet in front of my face. “I’m an elite healer, Lucille. Concussion, muscle aches, and frozen toes are for the grunts without yellow or white amulets.”

“I was just doing what I was told.”

Sam’s lips tightened as he wrapped a fist around the crystal. With his other hand, he pressed gently on my forehead.

Scalding heat shot through my skull, and I yelped, squirming beneath the intensity before it cooled into a soothing, steady warmth. Energy surged through my veins, chasing away the fog from my brain and the ache in my muscles.

I perked up, feeling refreshed and brand new. “Thanks,” I said, swinging my legs off the bed.

But Sam didn’t move. I glanced up, finding him frowning.

“What’s wrong?”

His eyes narrowed as he studied me. “Your energy levels were as low as a human’s.”

“I gather that’s bad?”

He quirked a brow, placing the amulet back over his head. “Humans don’t have enough energy to sustain angelic powers.”

I didn’t understand, and my face must’ve shown my confusion.

“Yes, Lucille, that’s bad. Your energy dropped dangerously low. If you’d tried using your powers before I healed you, you could’ve died.”

“Oh.”